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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. last — final
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. last — to go on
  8. net — for catching
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — after costs
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. net — in sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. degree — an amount
  21. perch — the fish
  22. degree — from a university
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com